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HISTORICAL  DISCOURSE 


DELIVERED   BY 


J-J^J^IES   ^TjXiXSO]^. 


JUL        16,    I  "  7  6  . 


Published  by  request  of  the  Se; 

Presbyterian  Ciwrch 


Intern 


PITTSBURGH: 

Nevin,  Gribbin  a-  Co.,  Publishers,  No.  14  Sixth  Street. 

1876. 


Historical  Discourse. 


I  WILL  MENTION  THE  LOVING  KINDNESS  OF  THE  LoRD,  AND  THE 
PKAISES  OF  THE  LORD,  ACCORDING  TO  ALL  THAT  THE  LoRD 
HATH  BESTOWED  ON  US,  AND  THE  GREAT  GOODNESS  TOWARD 
THE  HOUSE  OF  ISRAEL,  WHICH  HE  HATH  BESTOWED  ON  THEM, 
ACCORDING  TO  HIS  MERCIES,  AND  ACCORDING  TO  THE  MULTI- 
TUDE OF  HIS  LOVING  KINDNESSES. — Isaiah  Ixiii :  7. 

The  Church  on  earth  has  always  been  precious  in 
the  eyes  of  God.  Of  it  he  has  said :  "  Behold  I  have 
graven  thee  on  the  palms  of  my  hands."  And  Christ 
"loved  the  Church  and  gave  himself  for  it:  that  he 
might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it  with  the  washing  of  water 
by  the  Word,  that  he  might  present  it  to  himself  a 
glorious  Church,  not  having  spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any 
such  thing."  The  Lord  looks  "to  him  that  is  poor 
and  of  a  contrite  spirit,  and  trembleth  at  his  word." 
Wherever  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  his 
name,  there  he  is  in  the  midst.  He  deli<rhts  in  the 
dwellings  of  Jacob,  but  he  loves  the  gates  of  Zion 
more.  "  Glorious  things  are  spoken  of  thee,  O  City  of 
God."  He  hath  said :  "  This  is  my  rest  forever ;  here 
will  I  dwell,  for  I  have  desired  it."  God  is  in  the 
Church  to  make  his  power  and  glory  known  through 
his  word,  through  his  son  Jesus  Christ,  and  by  his 
Holy  Spirit.  And  he  is  there  to  receive  the  praise,  ado- 
ration, thanksgiving  and  love  of  those  who  dwell  in  the 
sanctuary.  He  says:  "Sing  and  rejoice,  O  daughter 
of  Zion ;  for  lo,  I  come ;  and  I  dwell  in  the  midst  of 
thee,  saith  the  Lord."  Johx  said :  "  I  heard  a  great 
voice  out  of  heaven  saying.  Behold  the  tabernacle  of 


Presbyterianism  in 


God  is  with  men,  and  he  will  dwell  with  them,  and 
they  shall  be  his  people,  and  God  himself  shall  be 
with  them  and  be  their  God." 

That  we  may  be  able  to  "  mention  the  loving  kind- 
ness of  the  Lord,  and  the  praises  of  the  Lord,"  and 
have  some  proper  idea  of  the  great  goodness,  mercy  and 
love  of  God  to  us  as  Presbyterians,  it  will  be  profitable 
for  us  to  consider  for  our  instruction  and  edification — 
How  God  founded  the  Presbyterian  Church  here;  how 
he  ho^  'preserved  it;  and  how  he  has  blessed  it.  The 
history  of  the  smallest  and  most  insignificant  church 
is  full  of  interest  to  every  lover  of  Zion,  whether  that 
church  may  be  in  the  vaulted  cathedral,  "in  the  house" 
— as  many  of  the  churches  were  in  the  apostolic  days — 
or  in  the  glens  and  caves  as  in  Switzerland  and  Scot- 
land in  the  times  of  persecution,  or  amid  the  stillness 
and  grandeur  of  the  forest  as  in  the  days  of  our 
fathers.  There  the  messages  of  heaven  have  been  pro- 
claimed; there  Christ,  the  crucified  One,  has  been 
preached  to  the  people;  there  the  Holy  Spirit  has  been 
poured  out ;  there  the  Gospel  has  been  a  savour  of  life 
unto  life,  and  also  of  death  unto  death;  there  many 
have  believed  to  the  saving  of  their  souls ;  there  many 
have  rejected  Christ  and  have  been  lost.  There  have 
been  many  fierce  contests ;  "  not  against  flesh  and  blood, 
but  against  principalities,  against  powers,  against  the 
rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this  world,  against  spiritual 
wickedness  in  high  places."  There  have  been  many 
glorious  triumphs,  and  there  have  been  many  most  dis- 
astrous defeats.  Every  church  on  earth  will  be  re- 
membered by  many  redeemed  in  heaven;  and,  alas! 
also  by  many  lost  in  hell. 

In  gathering  up  and  setting  before  you  the  history 
of  Presbyterianism  in  Sewickley  Valley,  it  will  be  prop- 


Sewickley  Valley. 


er  at  the  outset  to  ascertain  the  meaning  of  the  name 
given  to  this  place — Sewickley.  It  is  one  of  the  few 
Indian  names  permitted  to  remain,  which  have  not  been 
supplanted  by  Grecian,  Roman,  Egyptian  or  European 
names.  It  is  generally  admitted  that  in  the  language 
of  the  Delaware  Indians,  who  at  one  time  occupied  a 
large  territory  in  Western  Pennsylvania,  the  word  Se- 
wickley  means  sweet  water,  and  it  was  applied  to  this 
place  because  of  the  large  number  of  sugar  trees  found 
here.  The  same  name  is  given  to  several  places  in 
Westmoreland  and  Beaver  counties,  and  in  all  of  them 
sugar  trees  abounded,  while  it  was  not  given  to  any  lo- 
cality in  which  there  were  no  sugar  trees.  As  the 
Delaware  Indians  are  known  to  have  had  large  sugar 
camps  in  all  the  districts  to  which  they  applied  the 
name  Sewickley,  it  is  quite  probable  that  the  significa- 
tion we  have  given  is  the  true  meaning  of  the  word. 

The  Delaware  Indians  held  this  valley  long  after  the 
south  side  of  the  river,  opposite  to  us,  had  been  occu- 
pied by  the  whites. 

Communication  between  Fort  Pitt,  where  Pittsburgh 
now  stands,  and  Fort  Mackintosh,  the  site  now  occupied 
by  the  town  of  Beaver,  was  by  means  of  a  military 
road  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  opened  by  Gen- 
eral Broadhead,  which  can  yet  be  distinctly  traced.  It 
passed  near  the  spot  where  Sharon  church  now  stands. 
That  side  of  the  river,  along  with  nearly  all  southwest- 
ern Pennsylvania,  was  claimed  by  Virginia,  which  or- 
ganized three  counties,  Monongalia,  Ohio  and  Yohogania, 
and  actually  exercised  jurisdiction  for  several  years. 
Monongalia  included  a  small  part  of  what  is  now  known 
as  Washington  county,  upon  Ten  Mile  creek,  about  one- 
third  of  what  is  now  Fayette  county,  and  all  of  what 
is  now  Greene  county.     Ohio  county  embraced  about 


Presbyterianism  in 


one-third  of  Washington  county,  on  the  west,  below 
Cross  creek;  and  Yohogania  covered  all  the  other  parts 
of  the  territory  north  and  east  of  the  other  two,  in  what 
are  now  Washington,  Beaver,  Allegheny  and  Fayette. 
Yohogania  lay  immediately  opposite  to  this  valley,  on 
the  south  side  of  the  Ohio  river.  The  records  of  Yoh- 
ogania county  are  still  in  existence,  beginning  with  Dec. 
23,  1776,  and  .-ending  in  1781.  For  the  first  eight 
months  the  court  sat  in  Pittsburgh,  then  for  two 
months  at  the  house  of  Andrew  Heath,  but  during 
the  remainder  of  the  time  at  the  new  court  house  on 
his  "  plantation."  This  was  on  the  western  bank  of  the 
Monongahela,  about  where  the  line  between  Washing- 
ton and  Allegheny  counties  strikes  that  river.  Not  a 
few  of  the  farms  immediately  across  the  Ohio  river  are 
still  held  by  titles  from  the  State  of  Virginia. 

The  first  time  that  Sewickley  appears  in  history  is  in 
connection  with  Col.  George  Morgan,  who  was  born 
in  Philadelphia,  in  1741,  and  commanded  the  first  mil- 
itary company  raised  in  that  city,  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  Previous  to  this  he  had  traveled  over  a  large 
part  of  the  South,  and  what  was  then  known  as  the 
western  country — had  become  familiar  with  the  habits 
of  the  Indians — had  traded  with  them,  and  had  won 
their  confidence.  After  the  outbreak  of  the  war  he  was 
sent  to  Fort  Pitt,  as  an  Indian  agent,  in  order  that  by 
means  of  his  knowledge  of  Indian  character,  and  the 
confidence  reposed  in  him  by  different  tribes,  he  might 
be  successful  in  resisting  the  efforts  of  the  British  emis- 
saries to  arouse  the  Indians  against  the  white  settlers. 
This  agency  was  a  complete  success,  and  for  nearly 
three  years  his  headquarters  were  at  Fort  Pitt,  where 
he  bestowed  many  kindnesses  upon  the  Indians,  and  se- 
cured their  warmest  attachment.     On  the  12th  of  May, 


Sevoickley  Valley. 


1779,  prior  to  his  resignation  of  this  appointment, 
while  on  a  visit  to  Princeton,  whither  his  family  had 
been  removed  from  Philadelphia,  that  his  children 
might  have  better  educational  advantages,  he  was  wait- 
ed upon  by  the  chiefs  and  counselors  of  the  Delaware 
Indian  nation,  comprising  several  tribes,  then  occupying 
the  whole  of  Pennsylvania  west  and  north  of  the  Alle- 
gheny and  Ohio  rivers,  eastern  Ohio  and  the  adjacent 
parts  of  West  Virginia.  These  representatives  of  the 
Delaware  tribes,  in  attestation  of  their  appreciation  of 
his  efforts  in  their  behalf,  offered  as  a  free  gift,  all  of 
what  was  afterwards  known  as  "Sewickley  bottom." 
They  described  it  in  these  words:  "It  begins  at  the 
mouth  of  the  run,  opposite  the  foot  of  Montour's 
Island,  we  mean  the  lower  end  of  the  island,  (where 
Haysville  now  stands,)  and  extending  down  the  river 
Ohio  to  the  run  next  to  Logstown — bounded  by  the 
said  two  runs  and  the  river  Ohio,  and  extending  back 
from  the  river  Ohio  to  the  tops  of  the  highest  hills — 
being,  we  suppose,  about  three  miles  in  general  in  a  di- 
rect line  from  the  river  to  the  tops  of  the  said  hills,  and 
about  six  miles  from  run  to  run.  This  tract  contains 
the  whole  of  the  Sewickley  bottom,  which  is  very  good 
land,  and  we  desire  that  you  and  your  children  may  ac- 
cept and  possess  it  for  ever."  While  deeply  affected  by 
this  unexpected  proposition.  Col.  Morgan  kindly  but 
firmly  declined  it,  for  two  reasons:  (1)  Because  he  was 
an  officer  of  the  government,  and  was  paid  for  his  ser- 
vices by  the  government,  and  consequently  had  no  right 
to  accept  remuneration  from  another  party.  (2)  Because 
by  accepting  such  a  gift,  he  would  set  an  example  of 
which  bad  men,  agents  of  the  government,  might  take 
advantage  to  the  injury  of  the  Indians.  The  reply  was 
alike  creditable  to  the  head  and  the  heart  of  Col.  MoR- 


Presbyterianism  in 


GAN.  Tliree  several  times  was  the  offer  pressed,  and  as 
often  was  it  declined.  Not  many  Indian  agents,  then 
or  since,  would  have  been  able  to  withstand  such  a 
temptation.  And  yet,  at  that  very  time,  Col.  Morgan 
was  educating  the  sons  of  several  chiefs  at  his  own  ex- 
pense in  Princeton.  He  was  the  trusted  friend  and 
valued  correspondent  of  Washington,  Lafayette 
and  Jefferson,  and  was  well  acquainted  with  Aaron 
Burr,  and  a  witness  against  him  when  brought  to  trial 
in  Richmond,  Va.  He  removed  to  Morganza,  near  Can- 
onsburg,  in  1793,  where  he  died  in  1825.  His  descend- 
ants reside  in  Washington,  Pa.,  Pittsburgh,  and  the  State 
of  Ohio. 

As  the  Delaware  Indians  held  undisputed  possession 
here  in  1779,  it  is  but  reasonable  to  conclude  that  they 
did  not  remove  until  a  considerable  number  of  years 
had  elapsed.  Indeed,  the  late  James  Steele,  who  was 
born  in  Carlisle,  Pa.,  in  1783,  was  brought  to  Washing- 
ton, Pa.,  in  1793,  and  to  Sewickley  bottom,  where 
Shousetown  lane  now  is,  in  1796,  said  in  1872,  when  in 
the  eighty-ninth  year  of  his  age,  that  when  he  came 
here  there  was  a  small  village  of  fourteen  Indian  huts, 
up  Little  Sewickley,  on  what  was  afterwards  known  as 
the  "Buckley  farm,"  now  owned  by  Mr.  B.  D.  Moore, 
and  that  some  of  those  Indians  remained  in  this  vicin- 
ity until  sometime  between  1808  and  1812;  and,  also, 
that  they  were  very  improvident  and  poor.  The  latter 
part  of  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Steele  is  confirmed  by 
the  evidence  of  a  venerable  Christian  gentleman,  Mr. 
McCreery,  still  living  in  Beaver. 

Many,  if  not  most  of  the  early  white  inhabitants  of 
this  valley,  belonged  to  that  race  of  hardy  and  adven- 
turous keel-boatmen,  once  so  numerous  along  the  Ohio 
river,  and  so  notorious  for  swearing,  drinking  and  fight- 


Sewickley  Valley. 


ing,  though  not  undistinguished  for  a  high  degree  of 
uncultured  generosity  and  rude  kindness  of  heart.  The 
Summer  was  spent  in  conveying  to  Louisiana  lumber, 
potatoes,  corn,  oats,  flour  and  whisky,  and  bringing 
back  sugar  and  molasses,  by  the  slow  process  of  boats 
propelled  by  poles,  oars  and  ropes.  At  that  time,  pro- 
duce of  all  kinds  was  remarkably  cheap  here,  and 
throughout  this  entire  region.  The  late  James  Steele, 
whose  name  has  already  been  mentioned,  in  speaking 
of  the  low  price  of  what  he  considered  the  necessaries 
of  life  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  gave  as 
an  illustration,  that  whisky  only  cost  sixteen  cents  a 
gallon  by  retail !  For  years  a  large  number  of  the 
families  of  the  river  men  must  have  dwelt  in  the  low- 
lands between  this  and  Economy.  Twenty-eight  years 
ago  the  late  Paul  Anderson  Way  pointed  out  to  me 
evidences  of  many  dwellings  which  seem  to  have  stood 
alongside  of  the  old  military  road,  opened  by  Wayne's 
army,  to  Legionville  on  the  Economy  lands,  in  1798, 
through  Sewickley  bottom,  remains  of  which  are  still 
visible  in  a  few  places.  In  the  lower  Economy  bottoms 
there  are  to  this  day  groups  of  old  apple  trees,  indicat- 
ing early  settlements  along  the  line  of  this  road. 

But  the  race  of  keel-boatmen  is  nearly  extinct ;  so 
far  as  now  known,  only  two  of  this  class,  once  so  large 
here,  remain.  One  of  them,  the  venerable  Capt.  Robt. 
Beer,  now  in  his  eighty-fourth  year,  an  elder  in  the 
First  Presbyterian  church  of  Pittsburgh,  who  was  com- 
mander of  a  keel-boat,  resided  very  near  the  present 
home  of  Mr.  Robert  Watson.  The  other,  a  man 
who  was  employed  by  Capt.  Beer,  and  made  several 
of  these  long  and  slow  trips  with  him,  is  the  aged  Mr. 
Elias  Grimes,  still  residing  in  this  place,  and  known 
to  most  of  you. 


10  Presbyterianism  in 


Yet  even  then,  here  and  there  were  families  which 
had  brought  with  them  from  their  former  homes  the 
Bible,  the  habits  of  Christian  life,  a  regard  for  the  Sab- 
bath, and  a  desire  for  the  privileges  of  the  sanctuary. 
And  the  devoted  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  who  came  to 
Western  Pennsylvania  at  the  close  of  the  last  century 
or  the  beginning  of  this,  were  most  untiring  in  their 
efforts  to  discover  the  scattered  sheep  of  the  house  of 
Israel,  and  to  bring  others  into  the  fold  of  Christ. 
Occasionally  some  one  of  these  excellent  and  self-deny- 
ing men  would  find  his  way  to  this  spot — the  natural, 
beauties  of  which  were  even  then  noticed  and  reported 
abroad — where  they  would  be  warmly  welcomed  by  the 
few  pious,  and  where  others  would  turn  aside  for  a  little 
from  the  hunt,  the  carousal  and  the  family  gathering  to 
listen  to  the  strange  preacher. 

The  first  mmister  of  any  denomination  who  held  re- 
ligious services  by  regular  appointments  in  this  valley, 
was  the  Rev.  Francis  Reno,  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal church.  Several  Episcopal  ministers  labored  for 
a  number  of  years  at  a  very  early  date  in  southwestern 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  that  part  of  Virginia  immedi- 
ately adjacent.  Rev.  Joseph  Doddridge,  M.  D., 
whose  "  Notes  "  are  so  often  referred  to  as  illustrative 
of  the  manners,  customs,  and  mode  of  life  of  the  early 
inhabitants,  was  brought  to  Wellsburg,  Va.,  in  1773, 
and  was  of  Episcopal  parentage.  During  the  period 
between  1776  and  1781,  when  Yohogania  county, 
under  the  authority  of  Virginia,  exercised  jurisdiction 
over  the  district  lying  immediately  across  the  river 
from  us,  the  following  preachers — William  Taylor, 
William  Reno,  John  Whittaker,  and  Edward 
HuGHEY,  took  the  oath  of  allegiance.  Two  of  these 
were  undoubtedly  Episcopal  ministers,  and  this  Wil- 


S&wickley  Valley.  11 


LiAM  Reno  was  the  father  of  Rev.  Francis  Reno, 
the  pioneer  minister  in  Sewickley.  This  arrival  of 
Episcopal  ministers  at  so  early  a  date  is  easily  ex- 
plained. That  part  of  Pennsylvania  was  claimed  by 
Virginia;  and  in  order  to  make  good  its  claims,  coun- 
ties, as  we  have  seen,  were  formed  and  courts  of  law 
were  organized;  and  as  Episcopacy  was  established  by 
law  in  Virginia,  the  institutions  and  ministers  of  that 
Church  accompanied  the  civil  power,  so  that  it  might 
be  seen  that  Virginia  government  was  fully  established 
in  the  disputed  territory. 

It  is  probable  that  the  Rev.  Francis  Reno  began 
to  preach  here  in  1797,  or  at  least  very  near  the  begin- 
ning of  1798.  For  there  is  a  subscription  paper  still 
in  existence,  prepared  in  legal  form,  for  one-third  of 
the  time  of  Mr.  Reno,  from  May  1,  1798,  to  May  1, 
1799.  The  subscriptions  were  partly  in  cash  and 
partly  in  produce,  to  be  paid  "  at  the  expiration  of  the 
year,"  the  produce  to  be  delivered  at  Daniel  Leet's 
mill  on  Little  Sewickley.  The  following  are  the  names 
of  the  subscribers  and  the  amount  to  be  paid  by  each : 
John  Bean,  $2.00;  John  Way,  $1.50;  John  Grif- 
fith, 50  cents;  William  Left,  $1.50;  James 
Fletcher,  $1.00;  AVilliam  McGlahlen,  $1.50; 
Arthur  Frampton,  $1.00;  John  Stairs,  $1.00; 
William  Laudimore,  50  cents ;  Joseph  Olliver, 
75  cents ;  John  Vail,  $1.33 ;  Sam  Thomas  Olliver, 
75  cents ;  Hannah  Heigus,  $2.00 ;  Wm.  Ghent, 
$4.00;  Patrick  Bolden,  75  cents;  Jeremiah 
Wright,  $2.00;  James  Hutchinson,  $2.00;  Solo- 
mon Vail,  $1.00;  David  Vail,  $1.00;  George 
Harris,  $1.00;  Benjamin  Gunsalus,  $1.00;  Sam- 
uel English,  $1.00;  Joseph  Fisher,  3  bushels  of 
corn;    John  Olliver,   3   bushels   of   corn;    Hugh 


12  Preshyterianism  in 


Laudimore,  3  bushels  of  corn ;  John  Bales,  Sr.,  2 
bushels  of  corn;  Christian  Martin,  3  bushels  of 
corn;  Jesse  Fisher,  1|  bushels  of  corn;  Samuel 
Merriman,  3  bushels  of  corn ;  Hugh  Laudimore,  1 
bushel  of  corn ;  Frederick  Merriman,  2  bushels  of 
corn ;  Samuel  Smith,  3  bushels  of  corn ;  H.  Lee,  2 
bushels  of  corn  and  1  bushel  of  wheat;  Henry 
Ulery,  4  bushels  of  corn  and  1  bushel  of  rye ;  Adam 
Patterson,  3  bushels  of  corn ;  Wm.  Sutton,  3  bush- 
els of  corn.  The  number  and  variety  of  these  names 
indicate  that  there  was  at  that  time  (1798)  a  very  con- 
siderable population  in  this  vicinity;  and  it  will  be 
noticed  that  some  of  these  names  are  still  found  here. 
The  majority  of  these  subscriptions  are  marked  paid  in 
full,  some  paid  in  part,  and  a  few  altogether  unpaid. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  the  most  liberal  subscriber  was 
Wm.  Cheny;  but  unfortunately  William  is  only 
credited  with  paying  25  cents,  while  he  promised  $4.00. 
Yet,  this  is  not  the  worst  part  of  the  history  of 
this  Wm.  Cheny  ;  for,  on  the  docket  of  John  Way, 
Esq.,  under  date  of  May  5,  1800,  Wm.  Cheny 
and  Jeremiah  Bannon  were  "bound  in  $200  for  ap- 
pearance at  the  next  General  Court  of  Quarter  Ses- 
sions," for  "passing  counterfeit  dollars  or  quarters  on 
the  sixth  day  of  January,  1800."  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  Mr.  Cheny  did  not  inflict  a  counterfeit  quarter 
on  Rev.  Francis  Reno.  Two  similar  subscription 
papers  for  Mr.  Reno,  one  dated  1799  and  the  other 
1807,  are  also  in  existence.  Mr.  Reno  was  not  to  be 
trifled  with  in  the  matter  of  salary ;  he  believed  that 
a  contract  was  something  to  be  fulfilled  by  both  par- 
ties. He  did  his  part,  and  he  expected  the  subscribers 
to  do  what  they  had  promised.  Accordingly,  we  find 
entries   on    the  docket  of  John   Way,   Esq.,   dated 


SemcJcley  Valley.  13 


March  14,  1801,  against  Patrick  Bolden,  Samuel 
Meeriman  and  Jeremiah  Wright,  in  which  judg- 
ments are  given  against  them  and  the  moneys  collected 
and  paid  over  to  Mr.  Reno.  Merriman's  subscrip- 
tion was  3  bushels  of  corn,  and  the  judgment  against 
him  was  for  $1.00  and  costs,  which  gives  33  cents  as 
the  value  of  a  bushel  of  corn  at  that  time.  In  the 
subscription  paper  of  1798  it  was  stipulated  that  Mr. 
Reno  should  preach  on  lot  No.  2  in  Daniel  Leet's 
district,  and  the  place  of  preaching  was  'Squire  Way's 
barn,  which  stood  until  a  few  years  ago  on  the  lower 
side  of  the  road,  opposite  the  house  now  occupied  by 
Mr.  Wm.  L.  Jones.  What  success  attended  Mr. 
Reno's  labors  here,  or  when  he  ceased  from  them, 
we  have  no  means  of  learning.  It  is  certain,  however, 
that  he  preached  here  until  after  1809.  As  only  one- 
third  of  his  time  was  occupied  here,  he  preached  at 
Woodville  on  the  Washington  road,  near  the  old 
Cowan  estate,  in  this  county ;  and  in  Beaver,  and  prob- 
ably occasionally  elsewhere.  Many  of  his  descendants 
still  live  in  Beaver  county. 

Probably  as  early  as  1805  or  1806,  there  was  occa- 
sional preaching  by  Methodist  preachers  in  the  house  of 
Mr.  Fisher,  a  tenant  of  Daniel  Leet,  on  what  was 
afterwards  known  as  the  Shields'  property.  Next,  a 
preaching  stand  was  erected  in  a  grove  near  the  old  road 
which  crossed  Little  Sewickley,  a  short  distance  below 
where  the  Beaver  road  bridge  now  is,  and  then  ran 
along  the  creek  down  to  the  military  road  opened 
by  General  Wayne.  Previous  to  1823,  a  Methodist 
frame  meeting  house  was  erected  on  the  high  ground 
to  the  right  of  the  Beaver  road,  and  a  little  be- 
yond the  bridge  crossing  Little  Sewickley.  This 
building,  although  in  a  state  of  great  dilapidation,  was 


14  Preshjterianism  in 


standing  several  years  after  I  began  my  labors  here. 
It  is  probable  that  during  those  years  the  apostolic 
Bishop  Roberts  may  have  preached  the  Gospel  there, 
as  the  late  Mrs.  Nicholas  Way  was  his  cousin.  Such 
was  the  beginning  of  the  large  and  vigorous  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  of  Sewickley. 

The  first  Presbyterian  minister  now  known  to  have 
preached  in  Sewickley  valley  was  the  Rev.  John  Mc- 
Clain,  then  pastor  of  the  church  of  Montours,  on  Mon- 
tours  creek,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  Some  of 
the  members  of  that  church  resided  here,  and  the  pastor 
occasionally  came  over  to  preach  to  them  and  to  others 
disposed  to  hear  the  Gospel.  He  continued  to  do  this, 
preaching  in  private  houses,  in  barns,  and  in  the  woods, 
from  1802  to  1808.  Of  Mr.  McClain,  but  little  can 
be  learned  at  this  day.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Ohio,  and  pastor  of  Montours,  at  the  time  of 
the  first  meeting  of  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh,  Sept.  29, 
1802;  and  in  the  minutes  of  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh, 
which  met  Oct.  4,  1808,  his  name  still  appears  as  pastor 
of  Montours  church.  But  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio  re- 
ports to  the  Synod,  which  met  Oct.  3,  1809:  "That  on 
the  22d  day  of  December  last  it  dissolved  the  pastoral 
relation  of  the  Rev.  John  McClain  and  the  congrega- 
tion of  Montours  Run,  and  on  the  25th  of  May  sus- 
pended him  from  the  exercise  of  his  functions  as  a 
minister  of  the  Gospel." 

The  first  mention  made  of  any  regularly  organized 
Presbyterian  diurch  in  this  valley,  is  found  in  the  re- 
port of  the  Presbytery  of  Erie  to  the  Synod  of  Pitts- 
burgh, in  1808.  That  Presbytery  then  included  the 
entire  district  north  of  the  Allegheny  and  Ohio  rivers, 
from  the  town  of  Beaver  to  Lake  Erie  at  the  division 
line  between  Pennsylvania  and  New  York,  and  along 


Sevnckley  Valley.  15 


that  lake  to  the  point  where  the  city  of  Cleveland  now 
stands.  Indeed,  the  Presbyterian  church,  or  any  other 
Protestant  church,  was  not  known  much  farther  west- 
ward at  that  time.  In  the  Autumn  of  1808,  the  year 
in  which  a  church  in  Sewickley  bottom  first  appears  on 
the  records,  the  Synod  met  in  Pittsburgh,  and  was  opened 
with  a  sermon  by  Rev.  John  McMillan,  D.  D.,  "the 
apostle  of  the  West,"  from  Psalm  Ixxi :  16:  "I  will  go 
in  the  strength  of  the  Lord  God  ;  I  will  make  mention 
of  thy  righteousness,  even  of  thine  only."  Who  com- 
posed the  church  here  at  that  time  no  one  now  living 
can  tell ;  their  names  appear  now  on  no  church  record, 
but  they  are  written  in  the  Lamb's  Book  of  Life. 

On  the  22d  of  August,  1810,  the  Rev.  Andeew 
McDonald  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  of  the 
church  of  White  Oak  Flats,  now  Mt.  Carmel,  in  Beaver 
county,  some  three  or  four  miles  from  Economy,  on  the 
southern  side  of  the  Ohio  river.  At  that  time  an  ap- 
plication was  made  from  the  church  at  Sewickley  bot- 
tom for  the  services  of  Mr.  McDonald  one-third  of 
his  time,  until  the  next  meeting  of  Presbytery,  which 
was  granted.  And  at  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Ohio,  Oct.  5,  1811,  "a  call"  was  presented  for  the  labors 
of  Mr.  McDonald  one-half  of  his  time.  The  "call" 
was  accepted,  and  the  Stated  Clerk  was  directed  to  in- 
form the  Presbytery  of  Erie  of  this  fact,  as  this  church 
still  belonged  to  that  Presbytery.  The  Synod,  at  its 
meeting  in  the  Fall  of  1812,  set  this  church  over  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Erie  to  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio.  Mr. 
McDonald  was  never  formally  installed,  but  appears 
as  pastor  of  White  Oak  Flats  and  Sewickley  bottom 
on  the  minutes  of  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh  for  1814, 
1815,  1816  and  1817.  His  labors  here  seemed  to  have 
ceased  early  in  1818  ;  for,  on  the  minutes  of  the  Synod, 


16  Presbyterianism  in 


which  met  Oct.  6,  1818,  he  appears  as  pastor  of  White 
Oak  Flats  and  Flaherty's  Run ;  the  latter  is  the  one 
from  which  the  church  of  Sharon,  so  long  and  so  faith- 
fully served  by  the  Rev.  S.  C.  Jennings,  D.  D.,  sprang. 
And  in  the  minutes  of  the  same  year  Sewickley  is 
marked  "  vacant,"  and  is  also  placed  among  the  churches 
designated  "  not  able  to  support  a  pastor,"  a  statement 
no  one  will  doubt. 

The  Rev.  Andrew  McDonald  was  born  on  Raccoon 
creek,  Washington  county,  where  his  father  was  a  large 
land-holder.  He  graduated  at  Jefferson  College  in  the 
class  of  1803 — the  second  class  which  left  that  institu- 
tion— was  received  by  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio  as  a  can- 
didate for  the  Gospel  ministry  in  1805,  and  was  licensed 
to  preach  the  Gospel  by  the  same  Presbytery  in  1806, 
along  with  Messrs.  Reid  Bracken,  Cyrus  Riggs, 
Samuel  Woods,  and  Clement  Vallandigham — 
all  of  whom  have  long  ago  entered  into  rest.  Mr. 
Vallandigham  was  the  father  of  the  late  Clement 
■  Vallandigham,  of  Ohio,  and  Mr.  Woods  was  an 
uncle  of  Dr.  Woods,  of  this  church.  The  last  time 
we  find  Mr.  McDonald  designated  pastor,  is  in  the 
minutes  of  1823.  From  that  time  for  six  years  he  is 
marked  "without  charge."  Mental  aberrations,  indi- 
cated for  many  years,  increased,  until  in  1830,  his  name 
was  "erased"  from  the  roll  of  Presbytery,  "on  account 
of  mental  derangement."  Reason  was  never  regained, 
although  his  death  did  not  take  place  until  1846. 

After  the  retirement  of  Mr.  McDonald  from  the 
charge  of  the  church  here,  there  was  occasional  preach- 
ing by  the  Rev.  Thomas  E.  Hughes,  who  was  then 
settled  at  Greersburg,  now  Darlington,  in  Beaver  county. 
Mr.  Hughes  was  the  father  of  four  ministers  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church — William,  Watson,   John   D. 


Sewickley  Valley.  17 


and  James  E.  Hughes.  The  three  first  mentioned  are 
dead,  but  Rev.  James  R.  Hughes  is  pastor  of  a  church  in 
Dayton,  Ohio.  During  the  interval  between  1818  and 
1822,  the  late  Rev.  Francis  Hereon,  D.  D.,  whose 
wife  had  relatives  living  on  a  part  of  what  is  now  the 
Economy  projjert}^  preached  here  several  times.  And 
it  is  said  that  the  late  Rev.  Elisha  P.  Swift,  D.  D., 
during  the  latter  part  of  this  period,  preached  here  once 
or  twice  with  great  powder. 

At  first  public  worship  was  held  in  private  houses, 
then  in  barns,  and  in  the  Summer  in  some  favorable 
spot  in  the  woods.  Mr.  McDonald  preached  very  of- 
ten in  Jackson's  or  Hoey's  barns,  which  stood  until 
a  few  years  ago  on  the  spot  now  occupied  by  the  dwell- 
ing of  Capt.  James  Woodburn.  At  length,  by  com- 
mon consent,  the  services  in  the  Summer  were  held  in 
the  grove  that  then  encompassed  the  spring  on  the 
property  then  owned  by  Mr.  Beer,  but  now  by  Mr. 
Robert  Watson.  A  stand  for  the  preacher,  covered 
and  enclosed  on  three  sides  with  clapboards,  called  "the 
tent,"  and  logs  for  seats  for  the  hearers,  were  provided. 
In  1815,  the  Lord's  Supper  was  administered  in  Mr. 
Beer's  barn,  which  stood  on  the  ground  now  occupied 
by  the  residence  of  Mr.  John  A.  Warden.  The  "old 
church,"  which  rested  on  the  bank  of  Hoey's  run,  which 
passes  through  the  borough  of  Sewickley,  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  spring  first  mentioned,  was  erected  in 
1818.  The  logs  were  cut,  roughly  hewn,  laid  u])  and 
covered  with  clapboards,  and  the  house  fitted  up  with  a 
puncheon  floor  and  puncheon  seats,  by  the  voluntary 
labors  of  the  people.  This  building  was  taken  down 
some  years  ago,  and  its  materials  used  for  a  carpenter 
shop,  on  Fife  street ;  but  the  opening  of  Locust  street 
will  soon  remove  this  last  vestige  of  a  church  of  the 

2 


18  PresbyterianisiH  in 


olden  time  in  this  region.  The  ground  on  which  this 
building  stood  was  leased  to  the  "congregation"  by  the 
Beer  family  for  the  term  of  forty  years.  A  subsequent 
owner  of  the  Beer  farm  attempted  to  take  possession  of 
the  property  before  the  lease  had  expired.  But  James 
Park,  Sr.,  appeared  with  the  .lease  in  his  hand,  and 
made  good  the  claim  of  the  "congregation." 

The  first  sermon  in  that  modest  and  rustic  house  of 
worship,  was  delivered  by  the  Rev.  Michael  Law, 
pastor  of  the  church  of  Montours.  He  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  a  graduate  of  the  class  of  1808  in  Washington 
College — the  first  class  that  issued  from  that  institution 
— and  was  ordained  and  installed  Jan.  15,  1812.  His 
manner  of  speaking  was  earnest,  and  he  glowed  with 
missionary  zeal.  While  returning  from  a  missionary 
tour  among  the  Indians  at  Sandusky,  he  was  seized  with 
a  fever,  and  died  Oct.  9,  1821,  at  Ashland,  Ohio.  So 
greatly  was  he  admired  and  beloved,  that  the  people  of 
Montours  long  years  afterwards  gathered  up  his  dust 
and  deposited  it  in  their  own  burying  ground.  A 
daughter,  widow  of  the  late  Judge  Parke,  an  elder 
in  the  church  of  Center,  Presbytery  of  Pittsburgh, 
still  lives;  and  the  Rev.  W.  I.  Parke,  pastor  of  the 
church  of  Canton,  Ohio,  is  a  grandson.  It  is  believed 
that  the  first  communion  in  the  "old  log  church"  was 
administered  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Herron. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Synod  of  Pittsburgh,  in  the  Fall 
of  1821,  this  record  was  made:  "The  Rev.  John  An- 
drews, of  the  Synod  of  Ohio,  being  present,  was  invi- 
ted and  took  his  seat  as  a  corresponding  member."  And  ' 
on  the  16th  day  of  April,  1822,  he  was  received  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Redstone,  which  at  that  time  included 
the  city  of  Pittsburgh  within  its  bounds,  from  the  Pres- 
bytery of  ChilIi(!othe.     On  the  15th  of  October,  in  the 


Sewickley  Valley.  19 


same  year,  Mr.  Andeews  and  Revs.  Francis  Hereon, 
Robert  Patterson,  Joseph  Stockton  and  Ellsha 
P.  Swift,  detached  themselves  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Redstone,  and  united  witli  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio,  ac- 
cording to  the  order  of  Synod.  And  on  the  minutes  of 
the  Synod  for  1823,  Mr.  Andrews  appears  as  stated 
supply  of  Duif 's  (now  Fairmount)  and  Sewickley.  An 
old  session  book  has  been  preserved,  which  contains  a 
partial  record  of  the  church  from  1822  to  1831.  From 
this  it  appears  that  Mr.  Andrews  began  his  labors  here 
June  1,  1822.  The  church  then  consisted  of:  eiders — 
James  McLaughlin  and  Thomas  Backhouse  ;  pri- 
vate members — Nancy  McLaughlin,  Sarah  Back- 
house, Mrs.  Woody  (widow)  Mann,  William  Mc- 
Laughlin, Mary  McLaughlin,  Thomas  Wagoner, 
Mrs.  Wagoner,  Jane  Lester  and  Jane  Vance, 
making  eleven  in  all.  The  subscription  paper  "  for  the 
ministerial  labors  of  the  Rev.  John  Andre\vs,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, the  one-third  part  of  his  time,  to  be  expended  in 
Sewickley  congregation,  on  the  Pittsburgh  and  Beaver 
road,  to  continue  one  year  from  this  date,  June  1,  1822," 
shows  the  sum  of  $35.50  subscribed  by  nineteen  persons. 
If  he  received  in  the  same  proportion  for  the  remaining 
two-thirds  of  his  time — and  it  is  not  likely  that  he  got 
any  more — his  entire  salary  was  $106.50  a  year.  In 
January,  1823,  the  church  of  Sewickley  reported 
twenty-two  members;  in  April,  1824,  twenty-four;  in 
1825,  thirty-two  ;  and  the  same  number  in  1826.  The 
only  member  of  the  church  to  which  Mr.  Andrews 
ministered,  now  living,  is  Mrs.  Martha  Hood,  a 
member  of  the  Leetsdale  church,  who  was  received 
Oct.  9,  1830.  Mr.  Andrews  was  never  installed  pas- 
tor of  Fairmount  and  Sewickley,  but  continued  stated 
supply  of  these  churches  until  some  time  after  the  meet- 


20  Preshyterianisin  in 


ing  of  the  Synod  of  1831;  for  on  the  minutes  of  the 
Synod  of  that  year  he  is  marked  "  stated  supply,"  while 
in  the  minutes  of  1822  he  is  reported  "without  charge." 

Under  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Andeews  there  seems  to 
have  been  some  religious  activity ;  collections  were  taken 
for  the  American  Bible  and  Tract  Societies;  and  Bibles 
and  tracts  were  distributed  among  people  where  both 
were  greatly  needed.  The  following  paper  is  on  record, 
dated  September  24,  1830:  "We,  the  subscribers, 
promise  to  pay  the  sums  annexed  to  our  names  for  the 
purpose  of  procuring  the  Kev.  John  Andrews  a 
horse  to  enable  him  to  perform  his  labors."  To  this 
thirty-three  names  are  attached,  and  the  whole  amount 
subscribed  was  $17.87|^,  all  of  which  is  marked  "paid." 
If  this  sum  paid  for  the  horse,  horses  must  have  been 
very  cheap  at  that  time,  or  a  very  poor  horse  must  have 
been  purchased.  If  this  was  the  horse  Mr.  Andrews 
was  accustomed  to  ride  several  years  afterwards,  when 
I  frequently  saw  him,  the  sum  first  mentioned  was  cer- 
tainly his  full  value. 

Mr.  Andrews  was  born  on  Piney  creek,  Frederick 
county,  Maryland,  September  16,  1768.  His  father,  in 
early  life,  was  a  member  of  the  church  of  Pequea,  in 
Lancaster  county,  Pa.,  of  which  the  Eev.  Egbert 
Smith,  whose  celebrated  school  gave  so  many  ministers 
to  the  Presb}'terian  Church,  was  pastor.  In  1772  the 
family  removed  to  North  Carolina,  and  in  1773  settled 
on  Cane  creek,  in  the  western  part  of  Tryon  county, 
which,  after  the  Revolution,  became  Rutherford  county. 
Here  some  of  the  most  stirring  scenes  of  the  Revolu- 
tion  were  enacted.  For  his  primary  education,  Mr. 
Andrews  was  indebted  mostly  to  a  sister;  and  he 
afterward  studied  in  succession  at  three  classical  schools 
in  that  part  of  the  State.     In  1791  he  made  a  confes- 


Sewickley  Valley.  21 


siou  of  faith  in  the  church  of  Little  Britain,  most  of 
whose  members  came  originally  from  Pennsylvania. 
He  studied  theology  under  the  direction  of  the  Rev. 
James  Hall  and  other  ministers,  and  in  1794  was 
licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Orange.  In  1795  he 
visited  Kentucky,  recently  admitted  to  be  a  State,  and 
continued  his  journey  to  Cincinnati,  where  Rev.  James 
Kemper  was  at  that  time  the  only  Presbyterian  minis- 
ter. After  remaining  in  that  neighborhood  for  a  time, 
he  returned  to  Kentucky  and  labored  in  Lexington 
and  its  vicinity  for  several  years.  From  Kentucky  he 
removed  to  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  then  the  headquarters  of 
the  Northwest  Territory,  M'here  many  families  of  high 
social  influence  and  intelligence  had  been  collected. 
There,  on  the  5th  day  of  July,  1814,  he  issued  the  first 
number  of  the  "Weekly  Recorder,"  which  was  the  first 
religious  newspaper  issued  in  the  United  States,  or,  in- 
deed, in  the  world,  combining  religious  and  secular  neios. 
This  j)aper  contained  religious,  literary,  civil  and  gen- 
eral intelligence  and  discussions,  on  the  same  jjlan  now 
adopted  by  the  best  religious  journals  throughout  the 
world.  It  was  removed  to  Pittsburgh  in  1821,  where  it 
has  been  published  ever  since,  though  the  name  has 
been  changed  four  times.  The  first  change  was  to  the 
'' Spectator,"  then  the  "  Herald,"  then  the  "Presbyterian 
Advocate,"  and  now  the  "Presbyterian  Banner." 
After  Mr.  Andreavs  retired  from  DulF's  and  Sewickley, 
he  spent  much  time  in  establishing  Sabbath  Schools  in 
churches  and  neighborhoods  where  they  did  not  pre- 
viously exist.  He  was  of  feeble  and  attenuated  frame, 
and  in  his  advanced  years  his  hair  was  perfectly  white 
and  his  face  was  nearly  of  the  same  color.  He  died  in 
Pittsburgh  when  nearly,  if  not  quite,  ninety  years  of  age. 
From  1832  until  1837  scarcely  any  notice  seems  to 


22  ^resbyterianisvi  in 


have  been  taken  of  the  church  in  this  place.  The 
people  were  indebted  to  Rev.  S.  C.  Jennings,  and 
probably  others,  for  occasional  preaching.  But  the 
church  organization  gradually  died  out — the  people 
uniting  with  the  Fairraount,  Island  and  Sharon 
churches.  The  good  seed  of  the  Word  is  never  lost; 
if  it  does  not  take  root  in  one  place  it  will  in  another. 
About  midsumiiier,  1 837,  Rev.  Daniel  E.  Nevin  vis- 
ited Sewickley,  and  preached  in  the  school-room  of 
Edgeworth  Female  Seminary,  which  had  been  removed 
a  short  time  before  from  Braddock's  Fields.  Mr. 
Nevin  Avas  born  at  Shippensburg,  Pa.,  graduated  at 
Jefferson  College  in  1833,  entered  upon  the  study  of 
law  in  the  office  of  the  late  Richard  Biddle,  but  in 
a  short  time  became  a  student  of  the  Western  Theo- 
logical Seminary  in  Allegheny,  and  graduated  in  1836. 
Mr.  Nevin  was  invited  to  continue  to  preach  here  for 
a  time,  and  on  the  17th  of  February,  1838,  a  new 
church  was  organized  according  to  the  appointment  of 
Presbytery,  by  the  Rev.  John  W.  Nevin,  at  that  time 
a  professor  in  the  Western  Theological  Seminary,  and 
the  Rev.  Joseph  Reed,  then  pastor  of  the  church  of 
Hilands.  As  the  steamboats  were  not  running  at  that 
season  of  the  year,  and  as  there  was  so  much  snow  on 
the  ground  as  to  make  it  unpleasant  to  ride  on  horse- 
back, Mr.,  now  Dr.  John  W.  Nevin,  of  Lancaster,  Pa., 
took  the  more  comfortable  method  and  walked  all  the 
way  from  Allegheny.  The  services  were  held  in  the 
school-room  of  Edgeworth  Seminary.  The  members 
at  this  organization  were  twenty  :  Alexander  Ing- 
ram, Mrs.  Mary  Ingram,  Ellen  Ingram,  James 
S.  McCoMBS,  Mrs.  Anna  McCombs,  Margaret  Mc- 
CoMBS,  John  B.  Champ,  James  McLaughlin,  Mrs. 
Nancy  McLaughlin,  George  Flower,  Mrs.  Jane 


SevricMey  Valley..  23 


M.  Flower,  John  Waggoner,  Mrs.  Isabella  Wag- 
goner, Mrs.  Eleanor  Orr,  Mrs.  Mary  Olver, 
Mary  Smith,  Eliza  Campbell,  Mary  P.  John- 
ston, Mrs.  Margaret  Xevin,  Mrs.  Jemima  Ander- 
son. Of  these  twenty  only  two  are  now  living — Mrs. 
Margaret  Neyin,  received  from  the  First  Presbyte- 
rian church  of  Allegheny,  and  Miss  Mary  P.  Johns- 
ton, received  from  the  Congregational  church  of  Shrews- 
bury, Mass.,  afterwards  Mrs.  Mary  P.  Olver,  now 
Mrs.  Mary  P.  Clifford,  of  Southboro,  Mass.  Only 
three  of  the  twenty  were  received  from  the  old  church  of 
Sewickley.  Mrs.  Martha  Hood  had  been,  as  I  have 
already  stated,  a  member  of  that  church,  but  did  not 
become  a  member  of  the  new  organization  until  a  later 
day.  The  elders  then  elected  Avere  James  McLaugh- 
lin, who  had  been  a  member  and  an  elder  of  the  old 
Sewickley  church,  and  John  B.  Champ,  who  had 
been  received  on  certificate  from  the  Congregational 
church  of  St.  Mary's,  Ottery,  England.  On  the  11th 
of  April,  1838,  Rev.  Daniel  E.  Neyin  was  ordained 
and  installed  pastor  of  the  united  churches  of  Fair- 
mount  and  Sewickley. 

The  old  log  building  already  described  was  not 
favorably  situated  for  the  new  organization,  nor 
was  it  then  fit  for  occupancy ;  consequently  public 
worship  was  held  in  the  school-room  of  Edgeworth 
Seminary  for  nearly  three  years.  There  were  seri- 
ous obstacles  in  the  way  of  erecting  a  new  house  of 
worship.  The  pecuniary  resources  of  the  church  were 
small,  and  it  was  difficult  to  obtain  a  building  lot  in 
such  a  location  as  to  receive  the  approbation  of  all. 
At  lengtli,  after  much  prayer,  hoping  and  conference, 
the  first  formal  meeting  to  take  definite  action  was  held 
Feb.    1,    1839.     Then    the    following    trustees    were 


24  Presbyterianism  in 


elected  to  serve  one  year:  Jno.  B,  Champ,  James 
McLaughlin,  James  Olver,  Nicholas  Way  and 
James  Anderson.  They  were  empowered  to  pur- 
chase one  acre  of  ground  from  John  Fife  ;  and  this 
was  done  through  the  instrumentality  of  Dr.  John 
Dickson  for  the  sum  of  $200,  Mr.  Fife  making  a 
donation  of  $50.  Alexander  Ingram,  Dr.  John 
Dickson,  John  Shields,  Robert  Peebles  and  Wil- 
liam M.  Nevin  were  appointed  a  building  committee, 
and  Robert  Peebles,  Rev.  Jno.  W.  Nevin,  Jno.  B. 
Champ  and  Dr.  Jno.  Dickson  were  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  solicit  subscriptions.  The  late  Mr.  David 
Shields  acted  as  chairman  of  this  meeting,  and  Jno. 
B.  Champ,  secretary.  At  a  meeting  held  on  the  13th 
of  March  following,  it  was  resolved  :  "That  Mr.  Chis- 
LETT  (then  the  leading  architect  in  Pittsburgh),  agreeably 
to  his  proposal,  be  requested  to  sketch  a  plan  of  church 
after  the  Gothic  order  of  architecture,  answering  to  a 
fund  of  $1,500,  and  that  the  pews  and  pulpit  be  not 
included  in  the  plan."  It  was  likewise  resolved: 
"That  the  building  committee  have  a  discretionary 
power  to  enter  into  a  contract  for  the  building." '  The 
next  meeting  was  not  held  until  July  27,  1 840,  when 
the  building  across  the  street  had  been  erected.  Then 
a  committee  was  appointed  to  secure  means  for  remov- 
ing the  debt.  At  a  meeting  held  March  18,  1841, 
"the  pewing  of  the  middle  part  of  the  church,  agree- 
ably to  a  plan  to  be  furnished  by  Mr.  Paul  Ander- 
son Way,  "  was  ordered;  and  at  a  meeting  on  the  29th 
of  April,  in  the  same  year,  the  remainder  of  the  pews 
was  ordered  to  be  put  in.  Thus  two  full  years  and 
more  passed  away  from  the  beginning  of  the  enterprise 
until  its  completion,  although  the  building  was  occu- 
pied some   time  before  it  was    entirely  finished.      In 


Sewickley  Valley.  25 


the  erection  of  that  neat,  but  unpretending,  building 
where  this  church  worshiped  so  long — where  tlie 
word  was  so  often  in  demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and 
of  power^  and  which,  notwithstanding  the  dilapidation 
into  which  it  has  fallen,  is  still  so  fragrant  with  tlie 
memories  of  the  departed — there  was  much  delay,  effort 
and  self-denial.  Most  of  the  people  were  poor  and 
had  not  been  accustomed  to  such  undertakings.  A 
great  helper  was  found  in  Mrs.  Mary  Olver.  She 
was  of  commanding  person  and  had  a  large  heart,  and 
that  heart  was  in  this  work.  It  was  mainly  at  her  sug- 
gestion that  the  church  here  was  resuscitated.  The 
re-organization  took  place  in  the  school-room  of  the  in- 
stitution over  which  she  presided  with  so  much  success, 
and  in  that  same  room  the  congregation  worshiped 
nearly  three  years.  Her  death,  on  the  18th  of  July, 
1842,  was  a  great  loss  not  only  to  the  seminary,  but 
also  to  this  church.  Not  only  did  she  herself  labor 
earnestly  and  give  freely,  but  she  also  induced  her 
teachers  and  pupils  to  do  likewise.  Even  Roman  Cath- 
olics in  attendance  at  the  school  gave  generously  and 
obtained  contributions  from  others  because  of  their  at- 
tachment to  Mrs.  Olver.  But  if  Edgeworth  Semi- 
nary gave  with  bountiful  hand,  it  also  received  largely. 
Here  many  of  its  inmates  first  felt  the  word  of  God 
come  Avith  power  to  their  hearts ;  here  many  of  those 
now  widely  dispersed — not  a  few  of  whom  have  already 
ascended  on  high — were  born  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Nor  should  the  active  and  efficient  interest  taken  in  this 
church  by  some  of  the  young  men  connected  with  the 
school  of  Messrs.  Nevin  and  Champ,  in  the  house 
now  occupied  by  Mr.  Wm.  L.  Jones,  be  unnoticed. 

But  scarcely  had  yonder  church  edifice  been  com- 
pleted, when  the  pastor  who  had  waited,  toiled,  prayed 


26  Presbyterianism  in 


and  hoped  for  this  result,  began  to  feel  the  rapid  ap- 
proach of  that  disease  which  at  length  closed  his  mouth 
that  he  could  no  longer  proclaim  the  glorious  Gospel  of 
the  blessed  God.  The  pastorate  of  Fairmount  is  first 
resigned,  in  the  hope  that  he  might  still  be  permitted  to 
feed  this  little  flock ;  but  this  privilege  is  also  soon  taken 
away.  On  the  11th  of  September,  1847,  he  resigned 
the  charge  of  this  church,  which  he  would  gladly  have 
retained,  had  it  been  the  will  of  God.  During  his 
pastorate  here,  forty-four  were  admitted  to  this  church 
by  certificate,  and  seventy-five  by  confession  of  faith. 
Previous  to  his  retirement  from  the  pastorate,  he  had 
taken  charge  of  Edgeworth  Seminary,  which  he  held 
for  seven  and  a  half  years.  During  this  time  many  of 
the  pupils  \vere  brought  to  repentance  toward  God  and 
faith  in  the  Loed  Jesus  Christ. 

The  next  pastor,  James  Allison,  was  born  in  the 
city  of  Pittsburgh,  Sept.  27,  1823,  but  was  reared  near 
Bakerstown,  in  the  northern  part  of  this  county,  and 
within  the  bounds  of  the  church  of  Cross  Roads,  in 
this  Presbytery,  under  the  ministry  of  Rev.  John 
Moore  and  Rev.  Leland  R.  McAboy.  His  classical 
studies  were  begun  under  the  late  Rev.  Thomas  C. 
Guthrie,  D.  D.,  then  a  minister  of  the  New  Side  Re- 
formed Presbyterian  Church.  Afterwards  he  attended 
an  academy  under  the  care  of  Rev.  John  Moore,  near 
Hickory,  Washington  county.  Pa.  In  1842,  he  entered 
the  Sophomore  class  in  Jeiferson  College,  and  graduated 
Sept.,  1845,  on  the  day  on  which  the  late  Rev.  Mat- 
thew Brown,  D.  D.,  laid  down  the  presidency  and  the 
late  Rev.  Robert  J.  Breckinridge,  D.  D.,  took  it  up. 
In  October  of  that  year,  he  entered  the  Western  Theolog- 
ical Seminary  in  Allegheny,  and  graduated  in  May,  1848. 
On  the  next  Sabbath,  the  third  Sabbath  of  May,  1848, 


Sewickley  Valley.  27 


he  preached  his  first  sermon  in  this  place.  When  he 
came  hither  on  the  previous  day,  he  had  not  the  re- 
motest idea  of  a  settlement  in  this  place.  He  did  not 
know  that  this  little  church,  as  it  was  then,  was  desi- 
rous to  secure  a  pastor  ;  least  of  all  did  he  know  that 
any  one  had  spoken  or  even  thought  of  himself  in  that 
connection.  All  his  arrangements  had  been  made  for 
a  field  in  the  State  of  Iowa ;  but  he  was  induced  to  re- 
main, and  act  as  stated  supply  for  one  year,  at  a  salary 
of  $400.  He  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor,  Oct. 
16,  1849.  Small  as  the  church  then  was,  it  was  much 
more  scattered  than  at  present.  Beginning  above 
what  is  now  Dixmont,  it  extended  along  the  river  to 
Shousetown,  and  then  miles  back  over  the  hills.  The 
pastoral  relation  was  dissolved  at  his  recpiest,  Feb.  18, 
1864,  that  he  might  become  one  of  the  editors  and  pro- 
prietors of  the  "  Presbyterian  Banner,"  with  which  he 
had  been  connected  as  correspondent  and  partner  for 
several  years,  but  from  which  he  had  been  disconnected 
for  some  time.  During  his  pastorate  of  nearly  sixteen 
years,  there  were  received  into  this  church  two  hundred 
and  seventy-seven  by  confession  of  faith  and  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty-one  by  certificate. 

Owing  to  the  increase  of  the  congregation,  the  brick 
building  became  crowded.  We  first  placed  new  pews  in 
the  vacant  space  around  the  pulpit.  Then  we  took  up 
all  the  pews  and  placed  them  more  closely  together,  thus 
increasing  the  number ;  and  then  we  erected  the  gal- 
lery, which  Avas  taken  possession  of  by  Edgeworth 
Seminary.  But  at  length  we  became  so  crowded  that 
a  larger  house  of  worship  was  absolutely  necessary. 
The  first  formal  meeting  to  take  the  matter  into  con- 
sideration, was  held  in  the  beginning  of  August,  1858. 
After  this,  some  time  was  spent  in  securing  pledges  of 


28  Presbyterianism  in 


money  and  examining  different  plans  of  church  edi- 
fices. At  a  meeting  held  on  the  7th  of  February, 
1859,  the  plan  of  this  house,  furnished  by  Mr.  J.  W. 
Kerr,  was  adopted,  and  the  trustees  were  directed  to 
proceed  with  its  erection.  This  site  was  secured  after 
some  delay  ;  the  contract  was  given  out,  and  the  Avork 
was  begun  early  in  June,  1859.  But  the  building  was 
not  completed  iintil  December,  1861. 

The  cost  of  the  lot  was  $1,242;  of  the  building, 
$15,000;  and  of  the  organ,  $1,800,  although  this  was 
not  put  in  until  August,  1863.  This  house  was  dedi- 
cated to  the  worship  of  the  Most  High  God,  Father 
Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  on  Sabbath,  Dec.  15,  1861. 
The  dedicatory  prayer  was  offered  by  Rev.  M.  W. 
Jacobus,  D.  D.,  who  also  jDreached  the  dedication  ser- 
mon from  Psalm  xxvii :  4.  In  the  afternoon  the  sermon 
was  preached  by  Rev.  Samuel  J.  Wilson,  D.  D., 
from  Psalm  xlviii :  12,  13.  In  the  evening  Rev.  W.  M. 
Paxton,  D.  D.,  then  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  of  Pittsburgh,  but  now  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  of  New  York,  preached  from  Matt,  xxvii :  22. 
Large,  attentive,  and  deeply  interested  congregations 
were  in  attendance  at  all  these  services.  Thus  did  we 
enter  our  holy  and  beautiful  house  with  praise  and 
thanksgiving  unto  God. 

The  present  pastor.  Rev.  J.  B.  Bittinger,  D.  D.,  is 
a  native  of  this  State,  graduated  at  Pennsylvania  Col- 
lege at  Gettysburg  in  1844,  and  at  Andover  Theolog- 
ical Seminary  in  1849.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  the 
Gospel  in  1849  by  the  Andover  Congregational  Asso- 
ciation ;  was  princij)al  of  the  Abbott  Female  Seminary 
at  Andover,  Mass.,  one  year,  1849-50  ;  was  professor 
of  Rhetoric  and  Intellectual  Philosoply  in  Middlebury 
College,   Vt.,   from   1851    to   1853;    was   ordained  an 


Sewickley  Valley.  29 


Evangelist,  at  Cornwall,  Vt.,  in  1852;  was  pastor  of 
Euclid  Avenue  Presbyterian  church  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  from  1853  to  1862;  was  called  to  the  pastorate 
of  this  church,  May  9,  1864;  and  was  installed  July 
6,  1864. 

Since  the  beginning  of  the  pastorate  of  Dr.  Bittin- 
GER,  ninety-one  have  been  received  on  confession  of 
faith,  and  two  hundred  and  four  by  certificate ;  and  this 
church  has  done  liberal  things.  The  first  was  the  pay- 
ment of  a  debt  of  $5,000  resting  upon  the  church  ;  then 
the  manse  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $8,500 ;  then  the 
building  of  the  mission  school  house  was  accomplished 
at  a  cost  of  $2,000;  then  the  lecture  room  and  Sabbath 
School  rooms  were  erected — called  "  Reunion  Chapel  " 
in  memory  of  the  re-union  of  the  Old  and  New  School 
Presbyterian  Churches— at  a  cost  of  $15,603.35,  of  which 
$2,500  were  realized  from  the  sale  of  the  old  church. 
The  corner  stone  of  this  beautiful  chapel  was  laid  Sept. 
23,  1871,  and  it  was  dedicated  Jan.  21,  1872.  The 
bell  was  the  gift  of  Mr.  Cochran  Fleming,  and  cost 
$1,500,  while  the  frame  upon  which  it  rests,  and  putting 
it  in  place,  cost  $1,000  more.  In  these  twelve  years 
the  people  of  this  congregation  have  expended  $31,- 
103.55  upon  this  house  of  worship,  the  manse,  the 
buildino'  for  the  mission  school  and  the  memorial 
chapel,  in  addition  to  all  the  expenses  for  repairs,  the 
salary  of  the  pastor,  sexton's  hire,  and  contributions  to 
benevolent  objects.  The  entire  sum  of  money  paid  out 
by  this  church  for  all  purposes,  including  salary,  in  these 
twelve  years,  amounts  to  $101,229.00. 

But  this  is  not  all.  This  church  has  been  the  mother 
of  two  other  churches  now  strong  and  vigorous,  and  of 
one  lately  organized  under  most  favorable  auspices. 
The  United  Presbyterian   church  of  this  place,  origi- 


30  Presbyterianism  in 


nally  composed  almost  entirely  of  those  dismissed  by 
certificate  from  this  church,  was  organized  May  3, 1864, 
with  a  membership  of  eighteen.  The  Rev.  Wm.  A. 
McKenzie  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  April  5, 
1865,  and  resigned  his  charge  June  6,  1871.  The 
])resent  pastor,  Rev.  D.  S,  Kennedy, 'was  installed 
Oct.  15,  1872.  Since  the  organization,  two  hundred 
and  forty-five  have  been  received;  but  only  six  of  the 
original  members  remain. 

The  pastor  informs  me  that  in  these  twelve  years 
"  The  church  has  raised  and  expended  for  the  cause  of 
Christ  $36,289.00."  This  is  certainly  an  honorable 
record. 

The  Leetsdale  church  was  organized  August  1, 1864, 
in  Edge  worth  Seminary,  as  was  this  church,  by  a  com- 
mittee of  the  Presbytery  of  Allegheny  City,  consisting  of 
Rev.  Messrs.  L.  L.  Conrad,  D.  P.  Lowary,  and  Messrs. 
Alexander  Cameron  and  S.  B.  Mercer,  with  forty- 
three  members,  all  of  whom  had  been  dismissed  by  cer- 
tificate from  this  church.  Messrs.  John  K.  Wilson  and 
Jacob  W.  Guy  were  elected  and  installed  elders. 
Mr.  Wilson  had  been  an  elder  in  this  church ;  Mr. 
Guy  in  the  Valley  church,  Presbytery  of  Ohio — now 
Pittsburgh.  Edgeworth  Seminary  opened  its  hospi- 
table doors  to  the  Leetsdale  church,  as  it  had  done  to 
the  Sewickley  church,  and  public  worship  was  held  there 
until  the  building  was  consumed  by  fire  in  Feb.,  1865  ; 
after  that  services  were  held  for  a  time  in  the  "Shields 
school  house,"  a  small  brick  building  still  standing  on 
the  high  ground  above  the  Beaver  road,  on  this  side  of 
Little  Sewickley,  where  a  weekly  prayer-meeting  had 
been  maintained  for  many  years.  Sewickley  church, 
at  the  beginning  of  the  present  organization,  was  large- 
ly indebted  to  a  woman;  but  Leetsdale  is  under  still 


Sewickley  Valley.  31 


greater  obligations  to  a  woman.  Mrs.  Eliza  Shields 
was  the  daughter  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who 
had  served  on  the  staff  of  General  Washington. 
From  her  fatlier  she  had  inherited  large  possessions 
here,  and  for  years  it  had  been  in  her  heart  to  erect  to 
the  memory  of  her  father,  Major  Daniel  Leet,  and  her 
mother,  Wilelmina,  something  that  would  be  a  bles- 
sing to  her  children  and  her  children's  children  and  her 
neighbors,  and  also  to  the  glory  of  God.  Now  her 
time  had  come;  and  although  far  advanced  in  life, 
she  acted  with  great  vigor  and  intense  earnestness. 
First  she  donated  a  lot  estimated  to  be  worth  $1,200; 
during  the  Summer  she  put  up  a  chapel  at  a  cost  of 
$2,300  ;  then  she  erected  the  beautiful  house  of  wor- 
ship now  occupied  by  the  Leetsdale  church,  at  a  cost  of 
$18,000. 

The  chapel  was  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  God  in 
the  Summer  of  1865.  The  corner  stone  of  the  church 
was  laid,  June  23,  1868,  and  it  was  dedicated  to  the 
worship  of  the  Triune  God,  on  Sabbath,  Nov.  14, 1869. 
The  dedication  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  James 
Allison.  The  sermon  in  the  afternoon  was  by  the 
Rev.  David  R.  Kere,  D.  D.,  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  in  the  evening  by  Rev.  S.  J.  Wil- 
son, D.  D.  In  the  meantime  the  people  of  this 
church  had  erected  a  manse,  which,  with  the  lot,  cost 
$4,000,  and  furnished  the  church  at  the  expense  of 
$1,500;  and  afterwards  a  son  of  Mrs.  Shields,  name- 
sake of  her  father,  Daniel  Leet  Shields,  made  a  be- 
quest of  $5,000,  the  income  of  which  is  forever  to  be 
expended  in  keeping  the  church  buildings  and  grounds 
in  good  repair.  Van  Cleve  chapel,  a  mission  station 
under  the  auspices  of  the  pastor  of  Leetsdale  church, 
was  erected  last  year  at  a  cost  of  $1,000.     Thus  Mrs. 


32  Presbyteriaiiism  in 


Eliza  Shields,  Mr.  D.  Leet  Shields,  and  the  Leets- 
dale  church,  since  its  organization,  have  donated  for 
church  grounds  and  buildings,  in  twelve  years,  $33,000, 
in  addition  to  the  salary  and  contributions  to  benevolent 
objects.  Mrs.  Shields  died  March  21,  1872,  and  her 
works  will  follow  her  throughout  all  generations. 
Though  dead  she  will,  through  the  church  which  she 
builded,  preach  the  Gospel  during  all  the  succeeding 
ages. 

On  the  8th  of  March,  1865,  Leetsdale  church  called 
Rev.  W.  W.  Eells  to  become  its  pastor ;  but  after  hav- 
ing filled  the  pulpit  until  June  23,  1866,  he  declined 
the  call  on  account  of  the  uncertain  state  of  his  health. 
Mr.  Eells  is  a  native  of  Connecticut,  a  graduate  of 
Yale  College  and  of  Columbia  Theological  Seminary, 
S.  C,  and  has  been  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
in  Wilmington,  JST.  C,  of  the  Second  church  in  New- 
buryport,  Mass.,  and  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church 
of  Carlisle,  Pa.,  and  has  been  for  a  number  of  years  the 
Secretary  of  the  Pennsylvania  Bible  Society  for  the 
western  part  of  the  State.  The  Rev.  James  M.  Platt 
wa's  called  to  the  pastorate  of  Leetsdale  church  Jan.  30, 
1867,  was  installed  April  15,  1867,  and  resigned  Aug. 
9,  1869.  Mr.  Platt  is  a  native  of  Bath,  New 
York,  a  graduate  of  Princeton  College  and-  Theolog- 
ical Seminary,  was  at  the  time  of  his  call  to  Leetsdale, 
pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Zanesville, 
Ohio,  and  is  now  pastor  of  the  church  of  Bath,  N.  Y., 
to  which  his  father  ministered  many  years.  The  pres- 
ent pastor.  Rev.  R.  S.  Van  Cleve,  is  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  a  graduate  of  Princeton  College  in 
1863,  and  of  Princeton  Seminary  in  1866.  He  was 
called  to  the  pastorate  of  Leetsdale  church,  Jan.  17, 
1870,  and  was  installed.  May,  1870.     Since  the  organi- 


Sewickley  Valley.  83 


zation  of  Leetsdale  church  it  has  received  forty-four  on 
confession  of  faith  and  forty-eight  by  certificate.* 

On  the  25th  day  of  April,  1876,  an  active  and  most 
promising-  cliurch  was  organized  at  Glenfield,  lately 
known  as  Glendale,but  formerly  called  Killbuck,  which 
name  it  ought  to  have  retained,  for  it  is  historical. 
This  church  worships  in  a  hall,  but  at  no  distant  day 
it  will  have  a  becoming  house  dedicated  to  the  service 
of  Almighty  God.  An  attractive  building  for  church 
purposes  is  nearly  completed  at  Haysville,  which  will 
probably  cost  about  S2,500.  This  enterprise  is  mostly 
the  Avork  of  Rev.  Charles  A.  Dickey,  D.  D.,  pastor 
of  Calvary  church,  Philadelphia,  who  some  years  ago 
purchased  property  in  the  vicinit}',  and  has  secured  the 
assistance  of  friends  to  erect  this  house.  It  is  expected 
that  Haysville  will,  with  Glenfield,  constitute  a  pas- 
toral charge.  At  present  Mr.  Hyde,  a  licentiate  of 
the  Presbytery  of  Pittsburgh,  is  preaching  at  Glenfield. 
Thus  have  three  fully  organized  and  equipped  Presby- 
terian churches  and  one  chapel  sprung  up  within  the 
bounds  of  Sewickley  church  since  the  1st  of  May,  1864. 

The  salaries  paid  at  different  times  in  this  place  may 
be  considered  a  fair  index  of  the  growth  of  the  church. 
To-day  the  salaries  paid  within  the  bounds  of  what 
was  formerly  the  Sewickley  church,  amount  to  $11,500. 
The  salary  paid  Mr.  Andeeavs  in  1822  Avas  S35.50  ;  if 
the  Methodist  church  then  paid  as  much,  and  prob- 
ably it  did,  the  entire  sum  paid  here  to  support  insti- 
tutions of  the  Gospel  that  year  A\as  S71.00.  So  that  one 
hundred  and  sixty  times  as  much  salary  is  paid  in  Se- 
wickley now  as  was  paid  in  1822.  When  I  came  here 
in  1848,  my  salar}^  AA^as  $400,  and  the  Methodist  church 
paid  S200,  making  r$600  in  all.  So  that  nineteen  times 
more  salary  is  paid  here  now  than  in  1848. 


34  Presbyterianism  in 


Not  only  has  this  church  been  the  mother  of  other 
churches,  but  it  has  also  sent  out  from  it  ministers  of 
the  Gospel,  although  not  so  many  as  it  ought  to  have 
•lone.  The  Rev.  Thomas  Beer  was  born  here  and  bap- 
tized in  the  "  old  "  Sewickley  church.  He  was  licensed 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio,  Oct.  9,  1829,  and  was  dis- 
missed to  the  Presbytery  of  Richland,  Oct.  21,  1831. 
He  has  been  a  faithful  and  useful  minister  of  the  Gos- 
pel, and  is  now  enjoying  the  rest  of  old  age  and  the 
love  and  respect  of  all  who  know  him,  in  Ashland, 
Ohio.  The  Rev.  Isaac  Melancthox  Cook  was  born 
March  2,  1819,  in  Chillicothe,  Ohio.  Owing  to  the 
death  of  both  his  parents  when  he  was  only  five  years 
old,  he  was  committed  to  the  care  of  his  maternal 
uncle,  Mr.  John  Nevin,  of  Shippensburg,  Pa.  After 
his  conversion  to  God,  he  came  to  Sewickley  to  attend 
the  academy  of  Messrs.  Nevix  and  Champ,  and  be- 
came a  member  of  this  church.  He  graduated  at 
Jefferson  College  in  the  Autumn  of  1841,  and  after- 
wards studied  theology  under  the  direction  of  Rev. 
Daniee  E.  Nevin,  then  pastor  of  this  church,  and  at 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary.  Some  time  after  his 
licensure  by  the  Presbytery  of  Carlisle,  lie  became  pastor 
of  the  church  of  Bridgewater,  then  belonging  to  the 
Presbytery  of  Beaver,  but  now  under  the  care  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Allegheny.  For  nine  years  he  exercised 
a  most  successful  ministry,  and  the  zeal  of  the  Lord's 
house  consumed  him.  Though  of  feeble  body  he 
labored  with  untiring  earnestness  at  home  and  in  other 
places,  and  through  him  multitudes  were  brought  to 
Christ.     He  died  Jan.  10,  1854. 

Rev.  John  M.  Peebles  became  a  member  of  this 
church  May  11,  1839.  He  made  choice  of  the  profes- 
sion <4"  medicine,  but  afterwards  he  devoted   himself  to 


SewicM.ey  Valley.  35 


the  work  of  the   ministry,  and   is   now  a  self-denying 
and  useful  home  missionary  in  Nebraska. 

Charles  B.  Maci.ay  became  a  member  of  this 
church  while  a  student  in  the  academy  of  Messrs. 
Nevix  and  Champ,  graduated  at  Franklin  College, 
]Mercersbarg,  Pa.,  studied  theology  in  the  Western  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  in  Allegheny,  was  a  pastor  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  but  is  now  a  practicing  physician  in  Illi- 
nois, and  a  christian  poet  of  no  small  reputation.  Tiie 
Rev.  A.  M.  Reid,  Ph.  D.,  was  born  in  Beaver  county. 
Pa.,  within  the  bounds  of  the  church  of  Mt.  Carmel,  was 
a  teacher  and  a  student  in  the  academy  of  the  Rev. 
Joseph  S.  Travet.li  for  several  years,  graduated  at 
Jeiferson  College  in  1849,  studied  theology  under  the 
direction  of  the  pastor  of  this  church  at  that  time,  and 
at  the  Western  Theological  Seminary  in  Allegheny. 
He  left  us  in  the  Autumn  of  1856,  to  become  connected 
with  the  Rev.  C.  C.  Beatty,  D.  D.,  in  the  manage- 
ment of  Steubenville  Female  Seminary.  In  a  few  years 
he  took  complete  charge  of  that  institution,  in  which 
he  has  been  eminently  successful  as  an  educator,  and 
also  in  exerting  a  most  happy  religious  influence  up- 
on his  pupils.  He  is  a  popular  preacher  and  writer, 
widely  known  and  greatly  beloved.  The  Rev.  W.  W. 
Rai^ton  was  received  on  confession  of  faith  while  at- 
tending Mr,  Traveij j's  academy,  graduated  at  Jefferson 
College  in  1862,  and  afterwards  studied  theology,  and 
has  been  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Uuion- 
town,  Pa.,  and  of  Xenia,  Ohio,  and  is  now  pastor  of 
the  church  of  Bridgewater,  in  this  Presbytery.  Rev. 
John  QuiNCY  Adams  Fullerton  did  not  unite  with 
this  church,  but  in  his  boyhood  he  lived  here  with  his 
mother,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Sabbath  School  of 
this  church.     He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  for  the  sup- 


36  Presbyter ianism  in 


pression  of  the  rebellion,  and  afterwards  by  indomi- 
table perseverance  graduated  at  Princeton  College  and 
Seminary,  and  is  now  pastor  of  the  church  at  Dills- 
burg,  Pa.  The  Rev.  W.  W.  McKinxey  became  a 
member  of  this  church,  Dec.  18,  1859,  while  a  student 
of  theology,  and  has  been  a  successful  pastor  in  the 
State  of  Ohio,  and  of  the  church  of  Mingo,  in  the 
Presbytery  of  Pittsburgh ;  in  the  latter  church  God  has 
given  him  many  souls  for  his  hire.  The  Rev.  Henry 
Wilson,  assistant  secretary  of  the  Presbyterian  Board 
of  Church  Erection,  son  of  Rev.  Henry  R.  Wilson, 
D.  D.,  attended  this  church  while  his  father  was  prin- 
cipal of  Edgeworth  Seminary.  After  all,  the  contri- 
butions of  this  church  to  the  ranks  of  the  ministry 
have  been  highly  honorable,  and  constitute  one  of  our 
many  reasons  for  gratitude  and  thankfulness  to  God 
to-day. 

One  of  the  distinctive  characteristics  of  Presbyterian- 
ism  is  the  office  of  ruling  elder ;  it  is  vital  to  the  whole 
system.  The  ruling  elder  makes  the  same  solemn  vow 
as  to  doctrine  and  government  in  the  house  of  God  as 
does  the  preaching  elder.  The  vote  of  the  elder  of  the 
smallest  Presbyterian  church  is  equal  to  that  of  the 
most  eloquent  pastor  of  the  largest  and  richest  of  the 
metropolitan  churches  in  our  Presbyteries,  Synods  and 
General  Assemblies.  Hence  the  character  and  history 
of  the  elders  constitute  an  important  part  of  the  history 
of  every  church. 

The  following  are  the  elections  of  elders  Avhich 
have  taken  place  in  this  church  since  1822.  In 
1822,  James  McLaughlin,  Thomas  Backhouse; 
1828,  Robert  Anderson;  1838,  James  McLaugh- 
lin, John  B.  Champ;  1842,  April  30,  James 
Laird;     1848,     Xov.    25,     Wm.     VV^oods,     M.    D., 


Setuickley  Valley.  37 


George  Henry  Starr  ;  1850,  March  10,  Campbell 
McLaughlin  ;  1853,  Sept.  15,  Theodore  H.  Nevin, 
S.  R.  Williams,  John  K.  Wilson,  (Mr.  Nevin  had 
been  an  elder  in  the  First  church  of  Allegheny,  and 
Mr.  Williams  in  the  church  of  Cauonsburg);  1864, 
Oct.  9,  James  L.  Carnaghan,  Robert  H.  Davis, 
Wm.  p.  Jones,  John  Way  (Messrs.  Carnaghan 
and  Davis  had  been  elders  in  the  First  church  of  Alle- 
gheny); 1872,  Dec.  22,  John  Irwin,  Jr.,  John  F. 
Robinson,  Melancthon  W.  McMillan,  George  H. 
Christy  (Mr.  McMillan  had  been  an  elder  in  the 
North  church,  Allegheny).  It  will  be  noticed  that  Mr. 
McLaughlin  was  elected  in  1822,  when  the  "Old" 
Sewickley  church  was  resuscitated,  and  again  in  1838, 
wlien  the  present  church  was  organized,  but  he  was  an 
elder  here  long  before  the  first  mentioned  time.  We 
have  already  said  that  no  record  remains  of  the  original 
church  here,  whose  name  appears  first  in  the  minutes  of 
Synod  of  1808,  and  that  no  one  can  tell  who  were  its 
members  at  that  time;  and  both  of  these  assertions  are 
true.  But  it  is  certain  that  Mr.  McLaughlin  was  a 
member,  and  also  an  elder  before  the  Rev.  Andreav 
McDonald  ceased  to  act  as  pastor,  because  Mr.  Mo 
Laughlin  has  told  me  he  was,  and  related  inci- 
dents that  occurred  while  he  was  making  pastoral 
visits  along  with  Mr.  McDonald.  And  as  Mr.  Mc- 
Donald ceased  his  labors  here  early  in  1818,  Mr.  Mc- 
Laughlin must  have  been  a  member  and  elder  before 
that  time,  probably  two  or  three  years ;  and  as  he  died 
in  1859,  aged  eighty-one  years,  he  must  have  been  an 
elder  at  least  forty-three  years.  He  was  a  man  of 
strong  convictions  and  was  mighty  in  prayer — in  this 
respect  I  have  never  heard  him  surpassed  and  rarely 
equaled.  Thomas  Backhouse  has  been  dead  for  many 


38  Presbyterianism  in 


years;  he  is  said  to  have  been  an  upright  man,  of 
retiring  disposition  and  devout  Christian  spirit. 
Robert  Anderson  was  born  in  the  bounds  of 
the  old  Donegal  church  in  Lancaster  county,  Pa., 
removed  to  Washington,  Pa.,  while  a  young  man, 
and  afterwards  came  to  Sewickley  with  his  wife, 
Jemima  Anderson,  in  1824,  bearing  with  them 
a  certificate  of  ..-dismission  from  the  church  of  Wash- 
ington,   signed    by    the    Rev.    Obadiah    Jennings, 

D.  D.,  distinguished  successively  as  a  lawyer,  a 
ruling  elder,  and  a  minister  of  the  Gospel.  Mr.  An- 
derson was  a  man  of  superior  intelligence,  pleasant 
manners  and  generous  disposition.  He  w^as  at  one  time 
sheriif  of  Washington  county,  and  was  afterwards  u 
member  of  the  Legislature.  He  was  killed  by  an  acci- 
dent. John  B.  Champ  was  an  earnest  Christian  and 
a  most  active  worker  in  behalf  of  both  the  financial 
and  spiritual  interests  of  the  church.  After  a  time,  he 
removed  from  this  place,  and  it  is  said  that  he  died 
many  years  ago.  James  Laird  was  a  man  of  feeble 
health  and  of  diffident  disposition.  He  was  dismissed 
April  8,  1849,  to  the  church  of  Temperance ville.  Pres- 
bytery of  Ohio,  where  he  died  in  a  few  years,  from  a 
lingering  illness.  Campbell  McLaughlin  was  dis- 
missed to  connect  with  another  denomination,  and  has 
been  dead  for  several  years.  Samuel  Ralston'  Wil- 
liams graduated  at  Jefferson  College  in  1836,  was  a 
teacher  in  Virginia  and  in  St.  Mary's,  Gra.,  and  possibly 
in  other  places  ;  became  professor  of  natural  sciences  in 
Jefferson  College  in    1843,    succeeded   Rev.   Daniel 

E.  Nevin  as  principal  of  Edgeworth  Seminary, 
was  dismissed  to  connect  with  the  Second  Presby- 
terian church  of  Louisville,  where  he  had  accepted 
the  presidency  of  a  female  college,   Sept.    17,    1854; 


SewicMey  Valley.  39 


afterwards  he  became  principal  of  Sayre  Female  Insti- 
tute in  Lexington,  Ky,,  where  he  died  after  a  short  ill- 
ness in  1869.  He  was  a  most  skillful  and  succesv«ful 
educator,  and  one  of  the  highest  types  of  the  Christian 
gentleman.  Free  from  all  affectation  of  superior  sanc- 
tity, he  carried  with  him  the  savor  of  Christ  wherever 
he  went.  Jxo.  K.  Wilson  was  dismissed  to  connect 
with  the  church  of  Leetsdale,  and  James  L.  Carxa- 
GHAN  to  connect  with  one  of  the  churches  in  German- 
town,  Pa.  William  P.  Jones  was  born  in  Norris- 
town,  Pa.,  in  1814,  and  while  quite  young  was  taken 
to  Kentucky  along  with  his  parents  ;  his  father  was  a 
Presbyterian  clergyman.  In  the  course  of  time  the 
family  removed  to  Pittsburgh,  where  Mr.  Jones  was 
one  of  the  original  members  who  formed  the  Third 
Presbyterian  church.  After  his  removal  to  Sewickley 
he  closely  identified  himself  with  this  church,  and  he 
was  most  punctual  in  his  attendance  upon  the  services 
of  the  Sabbath  and  at  the  prayer-meeting.  Though 
not  demonstrative,  he  was  warm  in  his  attachments  and 
very  hospitable — especially  to  ministers  of  the  Gospel. 
The  missionary  work  of  the  church  occupied  a  large 
space  in  his  heart.  He  died  August  22,  1871.  The 
remainder  still  hold  their  places  in  this  church. 

The  Sabbath  School  of  this  church  has  been  the  nur- 
sery in  which  many  have  been  trained  who  have  con- 
fessed Christ  here.  My  knowledge  of  it  only  ex- 
tends to  1848.  For  some  time  after  that  I  was  super- 
intendent. Mr.  A.  M.  Reid,  now  Dr.  Reid  of  Steu- 
ben ville,  WHS  my  successor  ;  he  was  followed  for  ten 
years  by  Rev.  Joseph  S.  Travelli.  Then  Mr.  Wm. 
P.  Jones  was  superintendent  for  five  years,  and  Mr. 
Theodore  H.  Nevin  has  held  the  office  for  six  years. 

But  there  is  still  another  work  which  this  church  did 


40  Preshyterianism,  in 


of  whicli  I  dare  not  fail  to  make  mention  ;  if  I  should, 
the  stones  around  me  would  rebuke  me.  The  histor- 
ical researches  of  the  present  year  have  revealed  to  the 
world  more  plainly  than  ever  before  the  immense  obli- 
gations the  people  of  this  country  are  under  to  Pres- 
byterians in  securing  our  national  independence.  And 
when  the  mightiest  rebellion  recorded  in  human  history 
attempted  to  tear  down  the  glorious  temple  erected  by 
our  fathers — to  rend  the  grand  inheritance  bequeathed 
by  them  to  us,  and  to  destroy  our  national  unity — none 
rushed  more  quickly  to  the  defense  of  our  country  and 
to  the  preservation  of  those  principles  which  our 
fathers  announced  one  hundred  years  ago,  and  none  en- 
dured more  of  hardship  and  suffering.  The  first  gun 
fired  on  Sumter  aroused  the  patriotism  of  this  entire 
communit}'^,  as  much  as  that  of  any  other  part  of  the 
land.  The  people  of  this  church  had  laid  their  chil- 
dren on  God's  altar,  and  now  they  willingly,  along 
with  other  denominations,  devoted  them  to  the  service 
of  their  country.  Within  these  walls,  before  the  pews 
were  put  in  place,  our  noble  young  men  met  for  drill 
from  night  to  night.  And  when  they  left  for  the  field, 
we  followed  them  with  our  tears  and  our  prayers;  and 
alas  !  many  of  them  never  returned  to  us.  Of  those 
who  went  from  this  place  who  died  in  battle,  or  from 
wounds  and  disease  contracted  in  the  service  of  their 
country,  there  is  a  list  of  names  which  properly  belong- 
to  this  congregation,  which  must  be  recorded  here. 
They  were:  Col.  William  S.  Woods,  M.  D.,  Captain 
Alexaxdee  McKixxey,  Lieutenant  Wm.  C.  Shields, 
Alexaxder  Black,  Harry  Black,  Wm.  I.  Nevix, 
James  L.  Grady,  Theodore  Webb,  James  D.  Tra- 
VELLi,  Wm.  Whartox,  G.  W.  Forrster,  Wm.  H. 
Forester. 


iSewickley  Valley.  4l 


Yonder  marble  monument  will  perpetuate  their 
names  and  deeds,  along  with  those  of  their  brave  com- 
panions from  this  valley  to  distant  generations,  and  as 
the  light  of  the  sun  seen  sinking  in  the  west  a  few 
evenings  ago,  fell  upon  that  monument,  and  threw  a 
glorious  radiance  around  each  name,  these  lines  in  Ad- 
dison's "  Cato  "  rushed  to  my  lips  : 

"  How  beautiful  is  death  when  earned  by  virtue  ! 
Who  would  not  sleep  with  thena?     What  pity  is  it 
That  we  can  die  but  once  to  save  our  country." 

Brethren,  I  have  now  given  you  the  history  of  the 
beginning,  progress,  and  present  condition  of  Presby- 
terianism  in  this  valley.  You  have  seen  the  small  be- 
ginnings, the  struggles  by  the  way,  and  the  successful 
achievement  in  the  end.  Here  God  has  demonstrated, 
as  elsewhere  along  the  course  of  ages,  that  his  truth, 
though  long  buried,  will  spring  up,  and  that  though  its 
growth  may  be  retarded,  it  will  at  last  yield  a  plentiful 
harvest;  and  that  the  prayer  of  faith  is  always  an- 
swered. One  generation  goeth  and  another  cometh,  but 
the  church  of  God  abides  forever.  If  we  would  show 
our  appreciation  of  the  faith,  the  labors  and  the  self- 
denial  of  those  who  have  gone  before,  who  planted  the 
tree  of  life  here  under  the  branches  of  which  we  to- 
day sit  down  with  such  great  delight — if  we  would 
show  our  high  estimate  of  the  goodness,  mercy  and 
grace  of  God  to  ourselves — let  us  now  before  God  and 
in  the  presence  of  the  great  cloud  of  witnesses  who  have 
gone  up  on  high  from  this  valley,  "give  ourselves  liv- 
ing sacrifices,  holy,  acceptable  unto  God,  which  is  our 
reasonable  service."  Great  as  have  been  the  successes 
of  the  past,  the  capabilities  of  the  future  are  vastly 
more.     "Walk   about  Zion,  and  go  round  about  her: 


42  Presbyterianism  in 


tell  the  towers  thereof;  mark  ye  well  her  bulwarks, 
consider  her  palaces :  that  ye  may  tell  it  to  the  genera- 
tion following.  For  this  God  is  our  God  for  ever  and 
ever ;  he  will  be  our  guide  even  unto  death." 


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